GOVERNOR'S OFFICE OF INFORMATION TECHNLOGY SAVES STATE MONEY THROUGH CONSOLIDATION OF CELLULAR PHONE PLANS
Gov. Ritter announced today that the Governor's Office of Information Technology (OIT) completed a consolidation of the Executive branch's individual cellular phone plans and is pleased to report a significant annual savings of approximately $600,000.
"During tough economic times, government must lead by example in showing best practices in efficient management practices. I'm proud that OIT was able to secure this considerable savings for taxpayers by re-examining how the state conducts business," said Gov. Ritter. "
The OIT recently completed an 18 month effort to consolidate the individual cellular phone plans used by agencies in the Executive branch. This consolidation will allow state agencies to take advantage of pooled minutes that result in cost savings, as well as enterprise level reporting.
Additionally, with OIT being responsible for providing enterprise-wide management of the contracts, agencies can focus on the business of providing services to the taxpayers rather than managing an infrastructure contract.
Earlier this year, Senate Bill 08-155 was passed which requires consolidation of certain IT activities across the Executive agencies under the Governor's Office of Information Technology. This consolidation is the first of many being undertaken by OIT to meet the expectations of both SB 08-155 and to meet the multi-year information technology plan Gov. Ritter introduced in 2007 to centralize IT management, purchasing, spending and planning.
Michael Locatis, State Chief Information Technology Officer, said, "OIT has many short- and long-term initiatives underway and we look forward to rolling them out, and realizing more benefits for the state. It has been a pleasure to work with agency directors who recognize the importance and value of consolidation."
For further information, please contact John Conley, Deputy State Chief Information Officer and PIO, at 303-866-6182 or at john.conley@state.co.us.
